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OCP Africa Partners Syngenta Foundation To Ensure Food Security

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OCP Africa, a global leading company in the production and exportation of phosphate-based fertilizers has deepened its partnership with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), to ensure Nigerians are food secure by enhancingTomato production techniques and creating a viable and sustainable business modeland linkages around the value chain.

The partnership which is in its second year has helped toaddress constraints that hamper the improvement in yields of Tomato farmers in Nigeria’s agricultural sector and improve agricultural productivity, and standardization of outputs.

Very specifically,the project is focused on the establishment of Greenhouses andInput Hubs across Tomatoes farming locations for easy access to consistent and quality seedlings,access to modern agricultural technologies customized trainings, and guided practices to guarantee uniform outcome of produce that will feed identified commercial processors.

Akintunde Akinwande, OCP Africa’s Head of Business Development and Digital projects disclosed this at the 2021 Onboarding and Training workshop held in Kano for the Hub Managers and Extension Agents also known as Agripromoters.

Akinwande said so far, 20 Greenhouses have been established across major Tomato production areas in Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Abuja, with over 20,000 farmers accessing quality seedlings and inputs as well as good agricultural practice trainings on modern production techniques as well as linkages toofftakemarkets and processors.

At the workshop, the newly recruited Agripromoters and Hub managers were trainedon modern Vegetable nursery establishment and management, good agronomy practices of horticulture, retail business and basic inventory management, and on the usage of digital work tools for data capturing and management. 10 motorcycles and electronic tablets as well as branded materials were presented at the workshop to the Agripromoters to support their mobility and data capturing as they perform their Agricultural extension functions.

Akinwande said the two organisations entered the partnership to leverage their capacities and experienceto address challenges that hamper the improvement and consistency in quality of farm yields and twoyearsdown the line, he is happy to say their objectives are gradually being achieved thus presenting a proof of concept for future expansion to new areas.

Both organizations leveraged on their flagship projects through the merging of OCP Africa’s Farm and Fortune Hub (FFH) model and SFSA’s Farmers Hub (FH) model.

OCP Africa’s FFH is an all-inclusive last mile distribution solution that aims to address the challenges of farm inputs availability and accessibility by bringing together all basic farm inputs, training and extension services needed to ensure the perennial increase of farmers’ yield and revenue under one physical roof close to smallholder farmers in rural communities. While SFSA developed the Farmer Hub model which runs as an independent business entity often overseen by a young Agripreneur, and it provides smallholder farmers with access to quality inputs, mechanization services, knowledge, and markets.

Akinwande added that in two years the partnership has empowered 20 hub managers to raise over 6 million seedlings at the Greenhouses, with the hub managers earning revenues of over N30 million from the sales of seedlings and other inputs. This has also resulted in the creation of about 300 direct jobs.

Gabriel Isaiah, SFSA-Nigeria’s Country Program Manager and Training Coordinator said the project focuses on raising healthy seedling to produce vegetables through innovative skills among others as the availability of good seeds and seedlings, quality fertilizer, crop protection and good nursery management are essential.

 

He implored the Hub Managers to pay keen attention because they are going to be ambassadors of the scheme wherever they go and this was why they were picked to be trained so that they will be able to train others.

 

Isaiah added that successes of the partnership in the last two years has motivated both organizations to explore opportunities to scale the reach to other parts of the country. The plan for the coming year, he said, is to extend the reach to South West states as well.

 

He also reiterated the mandate of both organizations to focus on gender and youth inclusion with a good number of the recruited hub managers and Agripromoters being young and vibrant women.

 

Speaking at the event, the Hub Manager in Makoda Kano, Musa Usman, appreciated OCP Africa/ SFSA for this laudable initiative, as he said he was ready to effectively put the Greenhouse given to him to good and profitable use.

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Member APC Working Committee Urges Public Not To Bow to NNPP’s Blackmail Over APC National Chairman

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Bashir Mai Sango with APC national chairman Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

 

A member of the APC working committee in Kano Bashir Mai Sango urges the general public not to succumb to blackmail by certain sponsored elements seeking to discredit the APC national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

In a statement issued to newsmen Bashir Mai Sango, it was highlighted that the sponsored elements, bent on blackmailing the APC chairman, aim to destabilize the APC-led federal Government of President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, who, in his almost eleven months in office, has been striving to rectify the economy.

Bashir Maisango who is also the assistant secretary of Kano APC emphasized that these individuals are also apprehensive about the political acumen and successes of the APC national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who tirelessly collaborates with the President to strengthen the APC and position it as a formidable party in future general elections.

Bashir emphasized the importance of recognizing that the NNPP government, along with its agents in Kano and in collaboration with certain disgruntled elements, are working to divide party stalwarts at both the federal and state levels. They are doing so by sponsoring retrogressive elements to launch a campaign of defamation against the National chairman of the APC through court orders and by financing certain members to blackmail the chairman and the APC leadership.

The member Kano working committee further urged the National working committee of the APC, the people of Kano, and all other critical stakeholders not to yield to blackmail from the NNPP government and its propaganda machinery.

He mentioned that the NNPP government, led by Kwankwaso’s puppet, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, is doing so to appease his master instead of focusing on governance, as his failures are becoming increasingly evident.

The NNPP government aims to divert attention and ensure the innocent into its fold because the APC national chairman is their nightmare.

He said the national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has made significant strides in repositioning the party by establishing a progressive institute which underway . This institute is designed to consolidate robust political ideas for progressive politics, a feat never achieved before since the formation of APC in 2013.

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Dangote crashes Diesel price to N1,000 per litre

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In an unprecedented move, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction of the price of diesel from 1200 to 1,000 naira per litre.

While rolling out the products, the refinery supplied at a substantially reduced price of N1,200 per litre three weeks ago, representing over 30 per cent reduction from the previous market price of about N1,600 per litre.

This significant reduction in the price of diesel, at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, is expected to positively affect all the spheres of the economy and ultimately reduce the high inflation rate in the country

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KEDCO to Invest ₦1.2bn in Network Expansion

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Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) said it has concluded plans to invest ₦1.2billion Naira in network expansion and improvement in power supply to the famous Dawanau International Grains Market, in Kano.

Network expansion and power generation are some of the Company’s major plans to improve power supply in an accelerated fashion, especially in areas such as Dawanau International Grains Market, being the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, with numerous cottage industries.

The Company is prioritising the Dawanau project amongst a string of similar projects due to its current dilapidated network leaving the area underserved, thus hindering the potential of the market as a catalyst for economic growth of Kano state and the northern part of Nigeria.

Commenting on the development, the Company’s Ag. Managing Director and CEO, Abubakar Yusuf said, “We have engaged 3 reputable companies to actualise construction of 35KM of 33kV high tension (HT) line from Bichi Transmission Sub-station to Dawanau market, installation of 2Nos 500KVA 33/.415 transformers, and low tension (LT) lines to serve the area and environs at the cost of ₦1.2bn.

He added that “the project is aimed at improving quality and efficiency of power supply to industrial and commercial clusters in the grain market, which is equally in line with our vision to enable re-industrialization and economic empowerment within our franchise states”.

In his remarks, the Company’s Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Inuwa Bala Daneji said, “Upon completion of the project, we forecast an increase in energy offtake by 200% and an equivalent growth in revenue for KEDCO”.

On takeover in November 2023, the new core investor (Future Energies Africa) immediately embarked on network rehabilitation and expansion aimed at improving access to quality and reliable power supply for the socio-economic growth of KEDCO’s tri-state of operation.

In a statement signed by the head corporate communications Sani Bala said While these initiatives will further strengthen the existing relationship among stakeholders and explore other business opportunities within the same space and beyond, the investors remain unrelenting in the same trend across the franchise area.

 

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